10 reasons why Aberdeen is a great place to study and live

Choosing your university or college? Aberdeen is a great place to spend your student days – from beautiful views to great nightlife, it’s a student’s dream location!

We take a look at 10 reasons why you should consider choosing to study in Aberdeen.

1: The University of Aberdeen is Number One in Scotland

For engineering, land & property management and creative writing, at least.

The Complete University Guide rankings 2017 has named five courses at the University of Aberdeen among the best in the UK.

The rankings from the guide are calculated using a number of criteria deemed important to students, with Aberdeen improving in seven of the 10 categories, including student satisfaction, graduate prospects, number of good honours degrees and overall degree completion.

2: Vibrant Nightlife

Aberdeen is one of only two places in Scotland that has been awarded the Purple Flag award.

The Purple Flag status is awarded to town and city centres which meet or surpass the standards of excellence in managing the evening and night time economy (ENTE).

Having this status signifies that the city offers an entertaining, diverse, safe and enjoyable night out.

The longest service nightclub in the city, Babylon, is perfect for those who like to dance, and Dusk is the place to go for cocktail lovers.

Vogue is the best place to visit for 90’s music, while Cheerz Club is Aberdeen's only LGBT club.

The University of Aberdeen’s Union is getting an £8 million make-over that will be complete in 2018 and includes a newbar for students.

Prefer a place exclusively for students? Head over to the RGU Union – there is also a quiz night if you’ve been brushing up on your general knowledge!

3: Historic landscape

The University of Aberdeen is Scotland's third oldest university and the fifth oldest in the UK, having been founded in 1495. At the university you can walk in the footsteps of some of the greatest minds in history as Five Nobel laureates are associated with the university.

Robert Gordon University was founded in 1750 as a technical college, with full university status granted in 1992. It has a world wide renown in architectural and design studies.

The schools aside, Aberdeenshire is home to a beautiful, historic landscape including castles that inspired Dracula and the famous Walt Disney princess castle.

4: Huge Range of Sports

Love sports? Aberdeen is the place to be!

The Aberdeen Sports Village (ASV) is one of the leading sports facilities in the North East of Scotland, with facilities for athletics, football, swimming, hockey, squash, martial arts and boxing.

With over 50 golf courses nearby and opportunities for both skiing and watersports, there’s an activity to suit everyone, no matter what you’re interested in.

Don’t forget, your university also has sports facilities available. RGU: SPORT has a six-lane 25m swimming pool, nine badminton courts and a 11m-high lead climbing wall among its features.

5: The great outdoors

Aberdeen might be called the Granite City, but did you know that over a quarter of the land is open space – including parks and gardens?

It’s no surprise that the city has won Britain in Bloom for a record-breaking 10 times! On a sunny day you can swap the library for one of Aberdeen’s diverse variety of parks ranging from the city centre Union Terrace Gardens, to the spacious 44 acres of Duthie Park.

There’s no better place to study or just relax when the weather is good.

Craft and vintage markets, outdoor farmers markets and international food markets also provide a pleasant way to spend a weekend strolling through the city, and the perfect place to spend your student loan!

8: Codona’s Amusement Park and Queens Links

If you are a fan of mini golf, ten-pin bowling or amusement games, Codona’s is a great place to spend a day – especially with a student discount.

Five minutes from the city centre, Codona’s is right across the road from Queens Links, which has a nine-screen Cineworld and lots of restaurants including TGI Friday’s, Bella Italia and Pizza Hut.

9: Aberdeen International Youth Festival

Studying music, theatre or art? You should get involved with the Aberdeen International Youth Festival.

The 10-day festival, which takes place every June, features performances from amateur groups from around the world, with all artists under the age of 23.

From opera and choir, to dance and theatrical performances, as well as art exhibitions, the festival showcases the very best performances from Aberdeen’s performing arts scene. The festival takes place in His Majesty's Theatre, the Aberdeen Arts Centre and other well-known and respected buildings.

Aberdeen also has a thriving live music environment with most musical genres, from classical to pop well represented.

10: Be among famous alumni

From actor Iain Glen (better known as Ser Jorah Mormont on Game of Thrones) and Frank Mulholland, QC, Lord Advocate for Scotland, to the Rt Hon Alistair Darling, MP (former Chancellor of the Exchequer), the University of Aberdeen has an impressive list of alumni.

Robert Gordon University has a similarly high quality list of graduates – including Hamish Dodds, President and CEO of Hard Rock International Inc, double Olympian swimmer Hannah Miley and award winning artist Callum Innes.

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Buying a house
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So, you have bought a house! Congratulations. By now, feeling a wee bit weary, perhaps, you have been through the process of arranging funding, searched for suitable homes on ASPC’s website, made a selection to view, been to see several, tried for a couple, possibly, without success, but now the end is in view.

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